An analysis of samples of street-vended food in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, carried out in 1999-2000 revealed disturbing levels of contamination by heavy metals, pesticides, micro-organisms and mycotoxins. The organophosphate chlorpyrifos was detected in six out of eight samples of waakye (rice and beans) and one out of eight samples of fufu (cassava and plantain dough). Pesticide residues were not found in any samples of bread and salad. Local analytical facilities and methods were not able to quantify the levels of chlorpyrifos residues present to see if they exceeded Codex Maximum Residue Levels of 0.2mg/kg. Stakeholders from street-vendors, policy formulation, regulation, food standards and research expressed their concern to identify the sources of pesticide and heavy metal contamination in order to reduce hazards. Chlorpyrifos is often used during storage of dried foods, such as rice.
Enhancing the food security of the peri-urban and urban poor through improvements to the quality, safety and economics of street-vended foods, Final technical report R7493(ZB0199), Natural Resources Institute, UK, 2000, 31pp.
[This article first appeared in
Pesticides News No. 52, June 2001, page 17]